VHA gets interim relief from High Court

Special Correspondent

Aug 13, 2026

THE Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) secured an interim relief after the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court admitted its petition objecting to Collector and Additional Divisional Commissioner’s order of taking custody of the ground, on Wednesday.

The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing on August 27, 2026. 

Till then, civic administration has been asked to file its reply.

Justice Nandesh Deshpande issued the notices after the association approached the court seeking justice.

The Tehsildar was scheduled to take possession of the ground on Thursday, August 13. 

However, the coercive action now has been postponed for two weeks.

Adv Shantanu Khedkar and Adv Anurag Mankar appeared for VHA.

It could be termed as a huge relief for Krishna Joshi who is single-handedly fighting for VHA’s existence in court and with Hockey Maharashtra and Hockey India for the past few years.

Joshi has been appointed as co-ordinator by VHA Administrator Triloki Nath Sidhra, after the latter shifted to Punjab a couple of years ago. 

On August 10, Additional Divisional Commissioner Tushar Mathkar had refused to give stay to the District Collector’s order on taking custody of VHA ground.

According to Joshi, the civic administration passed the order without hearing his side which forced him to move court.

The District Collector, in his July 17 order, had asked Tehsildar to take custody of the ground after its lease, which was till 2037, was cancelled.

The office of Nayab Tehsildar of Nazul Department had then sent a notice addressing to VHA Secretary regarding taking control of the 3.8 acres of hockey field. Interestingly, there is no official body of VHA since Triloki Nath Sidhra was appointed as the Administrator of the association in 2019 on a High Court’s order to Deputy Charity Commissioner’s office.

As per the July 17 order, VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the ground’s lease. 

It came after an adverse report submitted by the DSO which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments. 

Joshi termed all allegations as false and baseless.

VHA to move court after Additional Divisional Commissioner refuses stay on Collector’s order

Special Correspondent

Aug 11, 2026

VIDARBHA Hockey Association (VHA) will be moving court in an attempt to save its ground after Additional Divisional Commissioner Tushar Mathkar refused stay on District Collector’s order on taking custody of the ground.

On July 17, Collector cancelled the lease of VHA and ordered the Nazul department to take custody of the 3.80 acres of the land situated off Amravati Road.

During the hearing, Mathkar passed an order stating that there was no reason to give a stay on the Collector’s order.

The next hearing is slated for October 21, 2026.

The Collector, in his July 17 order, had asked Tehsildar to take custody of VHA ground after its lease was cancelled.

The office of Nayab Tehsildar of Nazul Department had then sent a notice addressing VHA Secretary regarding taking control of the field after the lease of the ground was cancelled last month.

According to the notice, Tehsildar will be taking possession of the ground on August 13.

Interestingly, there is no official body of VHA since Triloki Nath Sidhra was appointed as the Administrator of the association in 2019 on a High Court’s order to Deputy Charity Commissioner’s office.

As per the July 17 order, VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the ground’s lease. It came after an adverse report submitted by the District Sports Office (DSO) which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments at the ground.

VHA had approached to the Divisional Commissioner to look into the matter and quash District Collector’s order.

Krishna Joshi, co-ordinator appointed by Sidhra, once again appealed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is Patron of VHA, to intervene in the matter. “I once again request VHA patron CM Fadnavis help us in saving the iconic ground,” said Joshi.

Tehsildar to take control of VHA ground on 13th

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Aug 8, 2026

IT’S GONE! Long live VHA ground!

The  hockey ground off Amravati Road, which was in the possession of Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) for decades, will be taken away by the Nazul Department.

The office of Nayab Tehsildar of Nazul Department has sent a notice to VHA Secretary regarding taking control of the 3.8 acres of hockey field after the lease of the ground was cancelled last month.

Interestingly, there is no official body of VHA since TN Sidhra was appointed as the Administrator of the association in 2019 by the High Court.

The Nazul department will be taking control of the ground on August 13 at 11 am and has asked officials or representatives of VHA to “remain present at the ground during the process,” states the notice dated August 5, 2026, which is in possession of ‘The Hitavada’.

Last month, District Collector had terminated the lease VHA and had asked Tehsildar to take possession of the piece of land.

As per the July 17, 2026 order, VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the lease. It came after an adverse report submitted by the District Sports Office which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments at the ground.

VHA had moved the Divisional Commissioner to look into the matter and quash the order passed by the District Collector.

VHA is in possession of the 3.8 acres of land on Amravati Road since 1962. The lease was renewed in 2007 and it was to continue till 2037.

The Collector had asked VHA to furnish all the documents of the lease and sought to know whether the lease rules were followed in toto. 

In that order, the Collector had also mentioned that the annual lease fee was not paid for several years. Other reasons for cancellation of lease were that the ground was not maintained, uneven bushes were all around the field, absence of astro-turf. 

The loss of such a memorable ground, which has hosted many enthralling matches, should be attributed to the infighting and ego tussle within VHA. Till date the life members, who claim themselves to be the flag-bearer of the game in the region and the clubs, have hardly come forward in support of saving the ground. 

For decades, the life members continued to fight for posts either in the erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation or in VHA. None thought for the betterment of the game, be it its Presidents, Secretaries or the members of executive committees over the years.

The appointment of an Administrator too could not solve the in-fighting. The Administrator shifted to northern part of the country appointing a co-ordinator who till date is fighting the lone battle. But that is not enough to save the ground from Doomsday! 

Long live VHA ground!

Co-ordinator Joshi seeks VHA Patron CM Fadnavis’ intervention

WITH no help from any quarter, Co-ordinator Krishna Joshi in a last-ditch attempt texted a message to VHA Patron Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to help in saving the ground.

In his message Joshi requested the Chief Minister to call a meeting of all stakeholders and then only take any decision.

“The ground is home to thousands hockey players of 11 districts and if it is taken away from them it will ruin their careers. I request you to please reconsider the Collector’s decision and intervene in the matter.”

Pacer Yadav parts ways with VCA

 TO PLAY FOR ODISHA FROM COMING SEASON

By Paritosh Pramanik

7-8-2026

VIDARBHA pacer Lalit Yadav has parted ways with Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) and has decided to play for Odisha from the coming season.

Yadav, took the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from VCA a few days ago and will be moving to the eastern state of the country in a couple of days.

“Yes, I got the NOC from VCA and I will be playing for Odisha. I wanted to explore new things and test myself in new conditions hence I decided to move to Odisha. I will be joining them in a couple of days,” Yadav told ‘The Hitavada’ on Thursday.

Yadav said he is aware that the combinations in VCA set-up is not favourable for him and hence the decision to move.

Vidarbha now boasts of young pacers like Yash Thakur, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Praful Hinge, Aditya Thakare to name a few and it would have been quite challenging for Yadav to sneak into the side.

“The combinations are now changing in Vidarbha cricket. There are new players (bowlers) who are rubbing shoulders with experienced players. I am aware of the competition now. Hence I decided to try my luck in other State. But my first love will be Vidarbha. Whatever I am today is because of VCA and I am highly obliged for the support I got from the association,” said the fast bowler.

Yadav has played 31 First-Class matches for Vidarbha. He has also played eight List A and 10 T20 matches for Vidarbha.

Interestingly, he made his Ranji Trophy debut against Odisha in 2016 at Visakhapatnam where he took two second innings wickets in a drawn tie.

The tearaway fast bowler represented Vidarbha for the last time against Tamil Nadu last season and could pick only a wicket.

Till date, Yadav has taken 80 wickets from 31 First-Class matches with five five-fors under his belt. His best of 7-56 came against Chhattisgarh in a Ranji Trophy match in 2018 in Raipur.

The 30-year-old seamer said he would love to come back and play Vidarbha Premier League (VPL) for Pagariya Strikers.

“I don’t know the procedure. But given a chance I will definitely play for Pagariya Strikers in the coming VPL season.”

Yadav said that he got assurance from Odisha Cricket Association for maximum matches.

“They have assured me of maximum matches in both red and white ball cricket hence I decided to test my skills there,” added Yavatmal’s Yadav.

VCA Secretary Sanjay Badkas confirmed that Yadav sought NOC some four-five days back and the association has granted him the same.

“Our (VCA’s) policy is simple. We never stop any player from seeking NOCs. We want Vidarbha players to flourish, anywhere. If they (the players) feel that they could do much better while playing for some other State we never stop them,” Badkas told ‘The Hitavada’.

Pacer Rajneesh Gurbani (Maharashtra), spinner Aditya Sarwate (Chhattisgarh) and batter Mohit Kale (Pondicherry) are a few names from Vidarbha who are playing for other States.

Special Correspondent

July 24, 2026

HOCKEY Olympian and World Cup winner Ashok Kumar has criticised the One State On Unit policy of Hockey India (HI) and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) terming it as a career-ruining decision of hundreds of players of the country.

In 2020, Hockey India mandated that only one state unit can hold voting and representative rights per state and snatched the recognitions of decades-old associations like Vidarbha Hockey Association and Mumbai Hockey Association.

This resulted in players from Vidarbha and Mumbai getting less opportunities to participate directly in national tournaments organised by Hockey India.

Ashok Kumar stated that earlier three teams used to get a chance to take part in nationals from a state like Maharastra. “This gave opportunities to more that 50 players to showcase their talents at national levels. However, the One State One Unit decision, ruined careers of many talented players as only 18 from the State could take part in the competition,” said the Arjuna Awardee.

“The players used to get maximum exposure which Hockey India took away from them. I can’t understand why such a decision has been taken where maximum participation from one state was 

Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Bharat and Bhopal teams used to participate. It used to benifit only the Indian team where they could select best of the talents. Uttar Pradesh is such a huge state, in area and as well as in population, but has only one team. Such State should have atleast three teams which would give players opportunities to participate in nationals. 

“I feel Hockey India should think on this and change its decision.

The former Olympian recollected his days when he played in the city before the team went to play the World Cup. 

“Nagpur has produced many great players.

“I have played several tournametns here and the atmosphere was great,” he concluded.

India can break 51-yr WC trophy jinx: Hockey Olympian Ashok Kumar

By Paritosh Pramanik

July 25, 2026

IT HAS been 51 years since India won its first and only hockey World Cup gold medal.

The final against Pakistan at Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Malaysia in 1975 saw, for one last time, India’s dominance on the hockey field as the Ajit Pal Singh-led side lifted the trophy with a 2-1 verdict.

It was because of the all-important goal scored by Ashok Kumar, son of legendary Dhyanchand, in the second half, which sealed the deal in India’s favour.

Those golden memories were still fresh in Askhok Kumar’s mind as he narrated a few anecdotes, especially of the semi-final against Malaysia and final against arch-rivals Pakistan, on Friday afternoon here in Nagpur.

The former centre forward got nostalgic while bringing those memorable days back.

In the city for Bankers’ Sports Council’s annual awards function as chief guest, Arjuna Awardee Ashok Kumar remembered those days and believed that Harmanpreet Singh-captained side will deliver their best performance this World Cup which will be co-hosted in Amstelveen, Netherlands and Wavre, Belgium from August 15 to 30.

“This Indian team has all the wherewithal to go the distance. They can break the 51-year jinx. Harmanpreet Singh is a cool and calm captain and is the best drag-flicker in the world at present. The team has won back to back Olympic bronze medals and will give their all in Holland,” said 76-year-old former centre forward.

“We have two big tournaments coming in the next couple of months and that would be crucial. We are playing the World Cup in August and then the Asian Games in Japan in September. These are big events,” said the striker who won World Cup bronze in the inaugural 1971 World Cup and silver in the next edition (1973).

The Jhansi-born player felt that the Commonwealth Games Committee should have included hockey in its roster. “The competition level would have been high with teams like Australia, New Zealand, England being the opponents. It would have been great for teams as well as for spectators,” he mentioned.

During his days, the Indian teams were coached and managed by an Indian only and Ashok Kumar believed that today’s team does not need a foreign coach.

“When the game was changing with new rules and was shifted from ‘chat’ and grass grounds to astro-turfs, a foreign coach was needed. But now, we have adapted the game well. I think there are many former players like Sardara Singh, V Raghunath to name a few, whose services can be utilised by Hockey India,” Ashok Kumar explained.

The two-time Olympic bronze medallist felt that Hockey India needs to concentrate on developing hockey at grassroot which is the feeder line.

“Hockey India is lacking in developing the game at grassroot level. That is the feeder line and if we want to be on the top of the hockey map, we must have a strong feeder line. I think, Hockey India should invest heavily in promoting hockey at age group level,” said Ashok Kumar who won Asian Games silver medals at Bangkok (1970 and 1978) and Tehran (1974).

Ashok Kumar hoped that Hockey India starts recognising former stars by providing financial assistance.

“I have had discussions with officials of Hockey India. I have suggested that former stars should get pension from Hockey India, just like in cricket. There should be criteria and grades but former players who brought laurels to the country by winning Olympic medals and World Cup titles, should be taken care off. Today, there are many hockey stalwarts who are living their lives in penury. It feels bad to see them in such a state. Hope Hockey India makes a positive move in this direction,” concluded the Munich Olympics bronze medal winner.

Collector cancels VHA’s lease

Association appeals to Divisional Commissioner for relief

VHA seeks its Patron Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ intervention

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, July 24, 2026

IN A massive setback to hockey activities in city, the District Collector has terminated the lease of Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) and asked the Tehsildar to take possession of the piece of land.

The order, dated July 17, 2026, contends that VHA had ceased to satisfy the conditions needed to continue the lease. It came after an adverse report submitted by the District Sports Office which flagged lack of facilities for players and holding of tournaments at the ground.

A livid VHA has moved the Divisional Commissioner to look into the matter and quash the order passed by the District Collector.

VHA is in possession of the 3.8 acres of land on Amravati Road since 1962. The lease was renewed in 2007 for 30 years and it was to continue till 2037.

The Collector, in a couple of show-cause notices, had asked VHA to furnish all the documents of the lease and sought to know whether the lease rules were being followed in toto. The association had complied with the notices and also appeared for hearing.

“VHA also attached the letter of District Sports Office which praised and thanked the association for providing the facility to conduct inter-school hockey last year (2025),” said Krishna Joshi, VHA co-ordinator appointed by Administrator TN Sidhra.

“It is surprising that only VHA is targeted and not any other association,” stated Joshi while talking with ‘The Hitavada’.

In the order, the Collector also mentioned that the annual lease fee was not paid for several years. Other reasons for cancellation of lease include; ground is not maintained, uneven bushes all around, absebce of astro-turf, an open nullah which can cause injury to players, no goalposts, no marking, no drainage system, no changing room, no clean drinking water and absence of other facilities.

Joshi termed all the allegations as false.

“The ground has all the facilities including changing rooms, toilets, aqua guard for clean drinking water. This is not a hockey season and the marking is done during the matches/tournaments. How can there be marking in rainy season? The grass cutting starts immediately after rainy season,” stated Joshi.

The association has sought Divisional Commissioner’s intervention in the matter. It has mentioned a recent High Court judgement which directed Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, Commissioner, Pune, to decide on the sports grace marks to VHA players.

The HC had pulled up the Directorate for delay in taking a decision on sports quota concession to VHA players, askeing it to decide within three weeks and convey it to VHA.

“The Directorate is yet to reply us in this matter,” Joshi informed.

The association has also written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also happens to be the Patron of VHA, seeking his intervention.

“I respectfully seek your kind intervention in a matter 

which has serious implications not only for the Vidarbha Hockey Association but also for future of hockey in the Vidarbha region.

“We request your goodself to kindly intervene and direct that the matter be reconsidered at the appropriate level, particularly in view of the pending proceedings before the Directorate and the larger public interest involved in preserving this historic sporting institution,” read the letter to Chief Minister Fadnavis, signed by Joshi.

Decide on grace marks to VHA players in three weeks: HC to Dir of Sports

By Paritosh Pramanik

July 10, 2026

PULLING up the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, Commissioner, Pune, for delay in taking decision on sports quota concession and grace marks to Vidarbha Hockey Association’s players, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has asked it to take decision within three weeks and convey it to the petitioner (VHA).

The bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj J Wakode, on Thursday, gave direction to the respondents after VHA approached the court seeking immediate decision as the concerned departments did not respond to their reply for over a year.

“In view of the submission made by petitioner, we dispose of the present writ petition with a direction to respondent No 1 (The State of Maharashtra Through Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Youth Welfare) and Respondent No 2 (The Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, Commissioner, Pune) more specifically respondent No 2 to decide the aforesaid representation dated 09.05.2025 within a stipulated period of three weeks from the date of production of the order,” the bench stated.

“The decision taken there upon shall be communicated to the petitioner (VHA) within a period of two weeks thereafter,” the bench ordered.

VHA was denied sports quota concession and grace marks for its players by Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, last year.

The association stated that its players were getting concessions and grace marks until 2024, despite it was de-affiliated from Hockey India in 2020.

VHA, through its counsels Senior Adv Firdos Mirza, Adv Anurag Mankar and Adv Niranjan Jadhav, also submitted that it is entitled and qualified to membership with Hockey Maharashtra as per the order passed by Hon’ble High Court in WP No 20253/2020 and also in accordance with the letter dated 06.01.2020 issued by Hockey India.

VHA also submitted that as per the affidavit filed by Hockey India, the association can function and participate in all the national level, state-level and other tournaments, selections under its own banner.

It also admitted that only in respect of participation in national level championship organised by Hockey India that VHA will have to participate through Hockey Maharashtra.

The association also submitted that withdrawal of sports quota concession and grace marks would result in grave prejudice to the players associated with VHA and adversely affect their education and career prospects.

VHA replies to Collector’s show cause notice

 Association submits documents related to 3.80 acres of land

Sports Reporter

June 25, 2026

VIDARBHA Hockey Association (VHA) has submitted its reply to the show cause notice issued by Collector’s Office. The district administration has sought explanation on number of points which were related to alleged voilation of lease conditions of the nazul land.

VHA, through its Advocate Niranjan Jadhav, submitted its reply in writng along with the documents of the ground, which is situated off Amravati Road.

The nazul department has renewed the lease of VHA ground period of thirty years, from 24 September 2007 to 23 September 2037. According to the show cause notice there are concerns regarding compliance with the terms and conditions stipulated in the lease renewal order. 

One of the key provisions under scrutiny is Condition No 5 of Form-BB attached to the lease renewal order. According to the condition, if the association loses government recognition or recognition from the competent department, the lease shall be deemed to have automatically expired.

“According to communications issued by the Commissioner, Sports and Youth Services, Maharashtra State, dated 4 May 2023 and 7 April 2025, the recognised organisations for the sport of hockey are Hockey India and Hockey Maharashtra. However, based on the records presently available with the administration, it appears that Vidarbha Hockey Association is not included among the recognised sports organisations. This situation has raised doubts regarding the continued fulfillment of the lease conditions, particularly those relating to recognition by the competent authority,” the notice read.

Krishna Joshi, who has been appointed as co-ordinator of VHA by Administrator Triloki Nath Sidhra, said there is no violation as the lease has been renewed till 2037.

“The lease was renewed in 2007 by Secretary Vinod Gavai. There was a theft in VHA office a few years back and several documents were stolen. We don’t know till which year the annual renewal fee has been deposited. I have asked the concerned department for the exact year from which we have to pay the renewal fee,” stated Joshi.

FLIP-FLOP FROM DSO

According to a submission from District Sports Office, which conducted hockey tournaments at VHA ground last year, the ground was not in playing condition and there was no changing rooms and washing rooms.

“The DSO asked us (VHA) for the ground. The matches were conducted under the aegis of The Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association (TNDUHA). We only provided the field with proper marking. There are two changing rooms and washing rooms. It was duty of TNDUHA to keep it clean as they received the funds from DSO.

“The DSO, through a letter dated 23-09-2025, also thanked the association for providing the ground. On one hand DSO showed satisfaction by thanking the association and on the other, it is claiming the ground as unplayable. This is double standards,” alleged Joshi.

“There is another hockey ground in Sadar which is also not affiliated with Hockey India or Hockey Maharashtra. I don’t think that association got any notice from Collector’s office,” said Joshi.

Pagariya men bag title

By Paritosh Pramanik

PAGARIYA Strikers batters unleashed brute power to bury Bharat Rangers under a mountain of runs. But Rangers too were up to the task. They showed nerves of steel and fought out hard till the last over. However, in the end it was Pagariya Strikers who grabbed the trophy narrowly winning the final.

The VCA’s Jamtha Stadium was lit up with sixes and fours as both the sides unleashed their brute power to entertain a 30,000 plus crowd.

Pagariya Strikers posted a huge 249-3 in 20 overs. Bharat Rangers chased the target till the end but managed to score 241-8 in 20 overs as Yash Kadam-led registered a narrow eight runs win.

Rangers captain Atharva Taide went cheaply (9) followed by Vedant Jajoo who managed 26 with two boundaries and as many sixes. Aniket Pande, who was promoted up the order, could not make an impact as he got run out for 4. A lot was expected from Danish Malewar but he too perished on 9 going for a big hit. Manan Agrawal (67) and Jagjot Sasan (37), to some extent, held the fort with 63 runs for the fifth wicket but the latter’s wicket in the 12th over put Rangers in more trouble.

Varun Bisht gave hope to Rangers with 21-ball 56. Needing 77 from 24, Bisht hit seven sixes and a four to bring the equation to 39 from 12 before he was caught in the 18th over. After him Hrushikesh Pawar slammed a six and a four to keep the run-rate in grasp. However, needing 20 from Sanskar Chavate’s last over, Bharat Rangers could score 11 runs only.

Earlier, it rained fours and sixes from Pagariya Strikers batters as they posted 249-3 in 20 overs. It was slaughter of lambs as Bharat Rangers bowlers failed to find any answers.

Impact substitute Samarth (90*; 47b, 8x4, 4x6), opener Sheikh (70; 48b, 8x4, 2x6) and Kadam (73*; 19b, 4x4, 9x6) turned the tables scoring runs in boundaries and sixes.

Sheikh and Samarth first bailed out their side from the initial trouble scoring 67-2 runs in powerplay. In the process they also completed 50 runs partnership for the third wicket in 29 deliveries and then completed the team’s 100 runs in 10 overs without any further damage. The next 10 overs were bloodshed as they picked 149 runs.

Sheikh was the first to complete his half century in 35 deliveries, milking in six boundaries and a couple of sixes. Samarth too followed suit completing his fifty in 31 deliveries. The Vidarbha Pro’s knock was laced with six boundaries and a six. In the process, he also strengthened his grip on the Orange Cap, emerging as the highest run-getter of the tournament with 459 runs from 10 innings.

Their partnership of 144 runs was finally broken by Bhute who got the wicket of Sheikh caught at mid-wicket by Danish Malewar in the 16th over.

However, Sheikh’s departure brought more trouble for Bharat Rangers bowlers as skipper Kadam and Samarth freed their arms hitting Shubham Kapse for 26 runs in an over with four sixes. Next over, Samarth sent the leather into the mid-wicket stands. Kadam then hit Kunal Kungwani for three sixes and a four to complete his half century from 15 balls which buried Bharat Rangers under a mountain of runs from where they could not rise.

SCOREBOARD

PAGARIYA STRIKERS INNINGS R B 4 6

A Ahuja c Jajoo b Bhute 1 2 0 0

F Sheikh c Malewar b Bhute 70 48 8 2

U Rajput c Pawar b Kapse 11 4 1 1

R Samarth Not Out 90 47 8 4

Y Kadam Not Out 73 19 4 9

Extras: (w 4) 4

TOTAL: (3 wickets, 20 overs) 249

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-14, 3-158.

Bowling: Bhute 4-0-36-2, Kapse 3-0-56-1, Kungwani 

4-0-61-0, Pawar 2-0-17-0, Sarvate 3-0-26-0, Sasan 3-0-39-0, 

Bisht 1-0-14-0.

BHARAT RANGERS INNINGS R B 4 6

A Taide c Gujar b Rai 9 6 1 0

V Jajoo c Ahuja b Salve 26 13 2 2

A Pande run out (Gujar) 4 3 1 0

D Malewar c&b Salve 9 6 2 0

M Agrawal c Gujar b Sanjay 67 41 2 5

J Sasan c Ahuja b Gujar 37 20 1 4

V Bisht c Sanjay b Chawate 56 21 1 7

N Bhute c Singh b Chawate 9 6 0 1

H Pawar Not Out 17 5 1 2

A Sarvate Not Out 1 1 0 0

Extras: (w 4, nb 2) 6

TOTAL: (8 wickets, 20 overs) 241

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-28, 3-43, 4-52, 5-115, 6-211, 7-211, 

8-240. 

Bowling: Rai 4-0-35-1, Chawate 4-0-58-2, Salve 4-0-31-2, 

Singh 2-0-38-0, Gujar 4-0-45-1, Sanjay 2-0-34-1.

    

Strikers to meet Rangers for title

Pagariya Strikers beat Orange Tigers by five wickets in Qualifier 2

By Paritosh Pramanik

PAGARIYA Strikers made it to back-to-back finals of the Vidarbha Premier League Season 2 after they defeated Orange Tigers in the Qualifier 2 here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Saturday.

In a low-scoring game, last year’s runners-up Pagariya Strikers defeated Orange Tigers by five wickets to book a final date with Bharat Rangers.

The mega final will be played on Sunday evening after the women’s summit clash at Jamtha Stadium.

After bowling out Orange Tigers for 150 in 19.4 overs on a slow track, Pagariya Strikers achieved the target in 19 overs with highest run-scorer of the tournament Ravikumar Samarth (60*; 44b, 5x4, 2x6) scoring a fine unbeaten half century. Samarth took the Orange Cap back with 369 runs.

The partnership of 54 runs for the third wicket between opener Faiz Sheikh (38) and Samarth was the turning point of the innings as the two denied Orange Tigers any inroads after some early wickets.

Pagariya Strikers lost opener Aditya Ahuja (17) caught by Yash Rathod off Saurabh Dubey for 17 in the third over. The Tigers tasted another success in Updesh Rajput’s (1) wicket next over. However, Samarth and Faiz build their innings to take their team near the target. They lost Faiz in the 11th over but Samarth and Sanjay (16) took their total near the target.

Pagariya Strikers won the important toss and they rightly invited Orange Tigers to bat first.

The Rathod-led side found it difficult to bat as they crawled to 150 in 20 overs. The slow nature of wicket assisted Pagariya spinners as they shared six wickets between them with Sanjay, Jasvindar Singh Tak and Pushpak Gujar taking two each.

Orange Tigers lost openers Mandar Mahale (24) and dangerous batter Rohit Binkar (19) by the fifth over. To add to their misery, captain Rathod (5) got run out for the second successive game putting pressure on the middle order.

Pagariya Strikers dropped two catches before the halfway mark. Rahul Singh failed to judge a high catch of Dhruv Shorey as he lost the ball in the lights. Later, debutant Tak dropped a skier off his own bowling giving a life to Addhyan Rauthan. However, Tak succeeded in getting his maiden wicket in the same over when he got Shorey (9) caught on the long-on boundary by Samarth as Tigers slumped to 69 for four. Tak once again deceived Orange Tigers batter, this time getting Rauthan (25) who gave an easy catch to Gujar at mid-wicket fence in the 13th over.

Akshay Karnewar (14) hit two sixes but side-arm spinner R Sanjay trapped him in front of a low and slow delivery making matters worse for Tigers. There was a 10 minutes break due to passing showers, and on resumption, Dahiya hit a boundary towards covers to take their total to 130-7 in 17 overs.

Next over, Vishesh Tiwari swept Gujar for a four but they could add another 20 runs and were all out in 19.4 overs.

NAGPUR HEROZ ELIMINATED Binkar, Mahale, rains take Orange Tigers into Qualifier 2

By Paritosh Pramanik

FIRST it rained fours and sixes from the blades of Orange Tigers’ Rohit Binkar and Mandar Mahale and then pre-monsoon showers poured on VCA’s Jamtha field forcing umpires to abandon the match after 7.5 overs. The result spelled doom on Nagpur Heroz as they were eliminated from the Vidarbha Premier League Season 2.

Fourth placed Nagpur Heroz were ousted due to inferior net run rate (NRR). Though Orange Tigers and Nagpur Heroz had the same number of wins and points, NRR came into effect which pushed the Siddhesh Wath-led side out. Orange Tigers had an NRR of 0.549 while Nagpur Heroz had 0.331.

The toss was delayed and the 15-overs-a-side match started an hour late due to rain. Nagpur Heroz invited Orange Tigers to bat first and Binkar threw his bat around scoring 45 runs from two overs. He plundered Nagpur Heroz pacers Umesh Yadav and Rajneesh Gurbani with towering sixes. Binkar (46; 14b, 4x4, 6x4), who has a century and a couple of fifties against his name in the tournament, picked 14 runs from Yadav’s first over. He then went all out against Gurbani picking 31 runs from his first over which had four sixes and a boundary apart from a wide and a couple of runs. Orange Tigers completed 50 runs in 2.3 overs. Binkar could not complete his half century as he was caught by Gurbani off Yadav in the third over.

Mahale (47*, 20b, 3x4, 4x6) then took the command but Tigers lost quick wickets in quick succession. At the end of powerplay (4.3 overs) Tigers had collected 87 runs for the loss of two wickets.

Tigers got a blow when captain Yash Rathod got run out to a non-existent run. They then got another shock in Akshay Dullarwar’s wicket who was caught in deep by Iknoor Bhamra off Parth Rekhade.

Meanwhile, Mahale continued to collect runs but twisted his ankle while completing a second run from a leg bye. It was then that heavens opened again, halting the play with Orange Tigers scoring 107-4 runs from 7.5 overs. After waiting over an hour for rain to stop, umpires decided to call off the game at 5.24 pm.

SCOREBOARD

ORANGE TIGERS INNINGS R M 4 6

M Mahale Not Out 47 20 3 4

R Binkar c Gurbani b Yadav 46 14 4 4

K Dahiya c Bhamra b Soni 4 3 1 0

Y Rathod run out Suryavanshi/Wath 1 1 0 0

A Dullarwar c Bhamra b Rekhade 1 2 0 0

S Padole Not Out 5 7 0 0

Extras: (wd 1, lb 2) 3

TOTAL: (4 wickets, 7.5 overs) 107

Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-71, 3-89, 4-92.

Bowling: Yadav 2-0-25-1, Gurbani 1-0-31-0, Soni 1-0-15-1, 

Muley 1-0-18-0, Rekhade 1.5-0-8-1, Jolly 1-0-8-0.

Match abandoned.

Rangers storm into final

Butter-fingered Pagariya Strikers spill bucketful of catches to lose the match by five wickets

By Paritosh Pramanik

ADITYA Ahuja scored a fine century (109) for Pagariya Strikers but their butter-fingered fielders let the game slip away from their grasp as Bharat Rangers stormed into the final of Vidarbha Premier League Season 2 here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Friday.

Chasing an imposing target of 231, Bharat Rangers, assisted by a bagful of dropped catches, achieved the target with five wickets in hand and three balls to spare. Pagariya Strikers will meet Orange Tigers in Qualifier 2 on Saturday.

Pagariya Strikers players first dropped rival captain Atharva Taide twice and then spilled the catch of Varun Bisht (35; 15b, 2x4, 3x6) deep into the game several times. Pushpak Gujar was the culprit on a couple of occasions.

If that was not enough, Sanskar Chavate overstepped when he got Bisht caught at long-off by Ahuja. In the same over Bisht hit a four and a six to bring the equation down. In the meantime Nachiket Bhute showed his batting skills to hit 9-ball unbeaten 22 with two sixes and a boundary. When Bharat Rangers needed six runs from the last over, Bisht was again dropped by Gujar at mid-wicket off Rahul Singh. Bisht completed the formalities with a six. Chavate was hammered for 51 runs from three overs.

Earlier in their innings Vedant Jajoo finally got back his form with a 31-ball 62 after Athrava Taide perished on a personal score of 34. The openers put up 85 runs for the opening wicket. Danish Malewar then scored 25-ball 44 runs to keep his side in the hunt.

Pagariya Strikers opener Ahuja slammed Bharat Rangers bowlers with consummate ease as they posted a huge 230-9. Ahuja hammered 10 huge sixes and five boundaries in his 61 balls stay in the middle. Apart from his century, the talented batter stitched three crucial partnerships throughout their innings. He first added 49 runs for the second wicket with Updesh Rajput (54; 13b, 3x4, 5x6) and then put up 41 for the fourth wicket with captain Yash Kadam (16). The best partnership came for the fifth wicket when he and R Sanjay posted 87 runs from 43 

deliveries.

Ahuja was at the Centre stage of Pagariya innings with his fluent batting. Sixes flew from his bat with ease and he completed his maiden century with a six over long-off boundary in the 19th over. His knock had nine maximums and five boundaries.

Faiz Sheikh picked a couple of boundaries off Hrushikesh Pawar but the bowler got him caught at the very next delivery at point by Danish Malewar.

Strikers promoted Updesh Rajput at No 3 holding back regular R Samarth and the decision worked for a while with the former hitting a hat-trick of sixes off Nachiket Bhute. Next over he picked up a couple of fours and as many sixes off Pawar as Pagariya raced to 63-1 in four overs. 

SCOREBOARD

PAGARIYA STRIKERS INNINGS R B 4 6

A Ahuja c Taide b Kapse 109 61 5 10

F Sheikh c Malewar b Pawar 8 3 2 0

U Rajput run out Bhute 45 13 3 5

R Samarth c Malewar b Sarvate 5 6 1 0

Y Kadam c Sarwate b Bhute 16 12 1 1

R Sanjay c Bisht b Kapse 37 19 2 3

S Deshmukh c&b Kapse 0 1 0 0

P Gujar c Kapse b Kungwani 3 4 0 0

S Chawate Not Out 1 1 0 0

D Tekan run out Malewar/Jajoo 1 1 0 0

Extras: (nb 1, wd 3, lb 1) 5

TOTAL: (9 wickets, 20 overs) 230

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-68, 3-82, 4-123, 5-210, 6-210, 7-221, 

8-228, 9-230.

Bowling: Bhute 4-0-49-1, Pawar 4-0-56-1, Kapse 4-0-47-3, 

Kungwani 4-0-39-1, Sarvate 4-0-38-1.

BHARAT RANGERS INNINGS R B 4 6

A Taide c Gujar b Singh 34 21 3 2

V Jajoo c Samarth b Kadam 62 31 8 2

D Malewar c Ahuja b Salve 44 25 3 3

J Sasan c Ahuja b Gujar 28 16 1 2

H Pawar b Gujar 2 3 0 0

V Bisht Not Out 35 15 2 3

N Bhute Not Out 22 9 1 2

Extras: (b 1, nb 3, wd 2) 6

TOTAL: (5 wickets, 19.3 overs) 233

Fall of wickets: 1-85, 2-129, 3-162, 4-167, 5-184.

Bowling: Kadam 4-0-43-1, Chawate 3-0-51-0, Tekan 1-0-16-0, 

Sanjay 2-0-25-0, Singh 2.3-0-32-1, Salve 3-0-38-1, Gujar 

4-0-27-2.

Sasan and Bisht unleash BEAST power

Bharat Rangers record 44-run victory over Nagpur Heroz

By Paritosh Pramanik

BHARAT Rangers defeated Nagpur Heroz to finish their league outings on a winning note collecting highest 12 points from seven encounters in what was the last league game of Vidarbha Premier League Season 2 here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Thursday evening.

Already secured top position in the seven-team table, Bharat Rangers defeated Nagpur Heroz by 44 runs to make it to the qualifiers as number 1 team.

They will take on Pagariya Strikers in Qualifier 1 on Friday evening.

The Eliminator 1 will be played between third placed Orange Tigers and Nagpur Heroz on Friday afternoon.

Electing to bat first, Bharat Rangers rode on Jagjot Sasan (62*) and Varun Bisht’s (48*) 96 runs unbeaten partnership for the sixth wicket to post a competitive 184 for five in 20 overs.

In reply, Nagpur Heroz made 140-9 in 17.5 overs. Siddhant Muley retired hurt.

Inkoor Singh Bhamra worked hard for Nagpur Heroz with his 34-ball 38 runs but he did not get support from other end as Bharat Rangers bowlers struck in unison taking wickets at regular intervals. Hard-hitting batter Apoorv Wankhade entertained the crowd with 10-ball 24 laced with three sixes and a boundary but Nachiket Bhute cleaned him up as Nagpur Heroz’s hopes of a win evaporated.

Sasan and Varun Bisht were the linchpin of Bharat Rangers’ win. The team was at a precarious 88-5 in 12.4 overs when the two batters slogged rival bowlers to take them to a competitive 184-5 in 20.

Sasan’s unbeaten 62 (36b, 5x4, 3x6) and Bisht’s powerful undefeated 48 (25b, 2x4, 5x6) pulled Bharat Rangers from the slump as the two remained unseparated adding 96 runs for the sixth wicket from 44 deliveries. Sasan’s innings was admirable as he first stemmed the fall of wickets scoring runs in singles and doubles and then with Bisht, he unleashed his power to hit three sixes and five boundaries.

Atharva Taide started well with Vedant Jajoo being the mute spectator watching his captain hitting boundaries with ease. But, going for a non-existent run, Taide lost his wicket as he got run out in the fifth over. His departure saw Rangers losing wickets in heap as they crawled to 64-4 in nine overs from 55-2 in powerplay.

Sasan then started the repair job. The arrival of hard-hitter Bisht brought life in their innings. The batter hit three successive sixes off Rajneesh Gurbani to increase the scoring rate. Sasan, too, freed his arms hitting a straight six to Tejas Soni in the 17th over and then in the next over collected a boundary from Umesh Yadav bowling. Bharat Rangers picked 17 runs each from 18th and 19th overs and then 16 from the last over to move to a challenging total.

SCOREBOARD

BHARAT RANGERS INNINGS R B 4 6

A Taide run out Gurbani-Wath 40 23 5 2

V Jajoo c Yadav b Soni 7 7 0 0

D Malewar b Rekhade 10 12 1 0

M Agrawal c Wankhade b Jolly 3 6 0 0

J Sasan Not Out 62 36 5 3

H Pawar c Yadav b Rekhade 7 11 0 0

V Bisht Not Out 48 25 2 5

Extras: (w 7) 7

TOTAL: (5 wickets, 20 overs) 184

Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-55, 3-62, 4-64, 5-88.

Bowling: Yadav 4-0-49-0, Gurbani 4-0-53-0, Soni 4-0-41-1, 

Rekhade 4-0-14-2, Jolly 4-0-27-1.

NAGPUR HEROZ INNINGS R B 4 6

P Rekhade c Kungwani b Pawar 19 6 3 1

T Suryavanshi b Sarvate 19 11 0 2

I Bhamra b Kapse 38 34 3 2

S Wath run out  Jajoo 0 1 0 0

K Rathod c Bisht b Kungwani 14 19 0 1

T Soni b Kapse 7 4 0 1

A Wankhade b Bhute 24 10 1 3

A Kombe c Sasan b Kungwani 1 4 0 0

R Gurbani c Chodmare b Agrawal 10 11 1 0

U Yadav Not Out 6 7 0 0

S Muley retired hurt 0 0 0 0

Extras: (wd 2) 2

TOTAL: (9 wickets, 17.5 overs) 140

Fall of wickets: Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-39, 3-39, 4-75, 5-91, 

6-121, 7-122, 8-126, 9-140.

Bowling: Bhute 3-0-29-1, Kapse 3-0-42-2, Pawar 4-0-18-1, 

Sarvate 2-0-3-1, Bisht 1-0-10-0, Kungwani 3-0-21-2, 

Ghodmare 1-0-9-0, Agrawal 0.5-0-8-1.

Rangers consolidate position at top with win

By Paritosh Pramanik

BHARAT Rangers consolidated their position at the top with a close win over India Warriors via DLS method in a rain-curtailed match of Vidarbha Premier League Season 2 here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium.

Needing 180 to win before light drizzle stopped play for around 35 minutes, India Warriors were 48-2 in 8.3 overs. But the revised target of 131 in 14 overs could not be achieved as they lost the match by eight runs.

India Warriors needed 26 runs from the last over bowled by Kunal Kungwani but captain Shubham Dubey (35*; 16b, 1x4, 4x6) could manage 17 runs with the help of two sixes and a boundary to fall short of the target.

India Warriors had a horrible start as they lost two wickets in the first over. Impact Substitute Vaibhav Lande scored 58 runs at the top but was trapped in front by Shubham Kapse in the 11th over. From there on it was a chasing game for them.

Earlier, Jagjot Sasan finally displayed his precious talent with a responsible half century after Atharva Taide slammed his second fifty of the tournament as Bharat Rangers posted a challenging 179-8 on a slow Jamtha track. Captain Taide’s knock at the top and Sasan’s middle-order stability saw Bharat Rangers reach that total. The top-middle order failed to fire with Danish Malewar returning without opening his account. Vedant Jajoo was once again unimpressive scoring only nine runs. Manan Agrawal (7) too could not contribute with the bat leaving it on Sasan to do the job.

If Taide scored at a brisk rate scoring his 51 from 33 deliveries with six boundaries and three sixes, Sasan built his innings cautiously. He rotated the strike with Aditya Sarvate (27*) to keep the scoreboard ticking. It was only after 16th over that Sasan freed his arms and hit two boundaries and four maximums. His two sixes came from Darshan Nalkande’s last over. Sasan and Sarvate posted 76 runs for the seventh wicket. Sarvate’s 27 from came from 20 balls.

India Warriors spinners must be credited for their exceptional line and length for restricting the run flow. Gurdeep Sodhi (3-31) and Kunal Nagar (3-20) shared six wickets between them while pacers Praful Hinge and Darshan Nalkande took a wicket each.

SCOREBOARD

BHARAT RANGERS INNINGS R B 4 6

A Taide c Kumar b Nagar 52 28 6 3

D Malewar c Wadkar b Nalkande 0 1 0 0

V Jajoo c Nalkande b Hinge 9 9 1 0

M Agrawal st Wadkar b Nagar 7 11 1 0

J Sasan b Sodhi 51 33 2 4

H Pawar c Singh b Nagar 0 2 0 0

V Bisht c Agrawal b Sodhi 18 13 1 2

A Sarvate Not Out 27 20 3 1

N Bhute c Bhoyar b Sodhi 6 3 0 1

K Kungwani Not Out 2 2 0 0

Extras: (wd 5, nb 2) 7

TOTAL: (8 wickets, 20 overs) 179

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-23, 3-54, 4-74, 5-74, 6-95, 7-171, 

8-177.

Bowling: Hinge 4-0-48-1, Nalkande 4-0-35-1, Nagar 

4-0-20-3, Kumar 2-0-23-0, Sodhi 4-0-31-3, Singh 2-0-22-0.

INDIA WARRIORS INNINGS R B 4 6

S Bhoyar run out Ghodmare/Jajoo 0 1 0 0

V Lande lbw b Kapse 58 34 2 6

A Singh c Sasan b Pawar 0 3 0 0

A Wadkar retired out 18 25 1 0

S Dubey Not Out 35 16 1 4

A Agrawal Not Out 8 5 1 0

Extras: (wd 3) 3

TOTAL: (4 wickets, 14 overs) 122

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-78, 4-86.

Bowling: Pawar 3-0-14-1, Sarvate 3-0-12-0, Taide 2-0-25-0, 

Ghodmare 1-0-8-0, Bhute 1-0-18-0, Kapse 2-0-18-1, 

Kungwani 2-0-27-0.